Some journeys don’t seem to have a definite beginning or end – sometimes they are a crossroad that intersects our path. We see it and acknowledge or move on, or we stop and make the turn down that road. So it has been, so far, with me and the flute. While in high school I had struggled to learn the piano and gave up after three months because reading sheet music was killing me. I stayed with the guitar – playing chords was comparatively easy. Picking and strumming versus fingering individual notes worked fine for me. When I picked up the flute, it was inspired by both Jean-Pierre Rampal and Jethro Tull. Again, I struggled with the sheet music, only this time it was easier since I only had one note to play at a time. I limped my way with it. Dropped it with my high school graduation. Let the poor flute languish until, years later, I passed it on to my niece.
Years later, here I am, at a crossroad. Through a series of unpredictable events, I have a Native American flute in hand, with instruction books to boot, and a support group of incredible local players that are willing to help. Let the journey begin!
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